Richard is the North American Technical Services Director for Orica. His role is to provide technical leadership and guidance to the Commercial and Operations functions, striving to add value to Orica’s customers through the safe and efficient use of explosives. This involves extensive travel throughout Canada, the US and Mexico, covering open pit and underground mining as well as quarrying and construction. In this role he has made presenting at ISEE Chapter and Annual meetings an important part of the Technical team’s development and growth.
Richard holds a Bachelor of Science in Mining Engineering from University Nottingham in the UK (1987) and an MBA from Ohio State University (1998). He has also undertaken numerous courses in leadership, value creation and technical innovation as well as teaching classes in the safe handling of explosives.
Richard began his career in 1987 with Nobel’s Explosives, which became ICI Explosives, in the UK as a Technical Engineer supporting operations throughout Europe and the Zambian Copper mines. In 1992 he joined the Austin Powder Company in the US as technical support throughout the US, Canada, Mexico, Chile, and Peru. After earning his MBA, Richard joined Andersen Consulting, that later became Accenture, as a consultant for numerous global mining, and other industry clients. In 2008 he joined Orica where he oversaw the North and South American Supply Chain teams for 6 years before transitioning to the Technical side of the business in 2014. Richard is married with two children aged 17 and 19. He lives in Colorado and enjoys mountain biking, fly fishing, skiing, camping, and hiking with his friends and family. These trips often include searching out old mining relics and “ghost towns” that capture the incredible history that mining has had across the continent.